The present invention relates to reduction grinders and, in particular, to a grinder for reducing landfill debris, road surface materials, rock, and logs, among a variety of materials to a ground particulate.
Reduction grinders have been designed to abrade, shred and grind to size a variety of work materials from grains to rock to road surfaces to scrap metal. Material feed hoppers are typically included with various of these grinders and from which the material may be gravitationally fed. Mechanical feed assemblies, such as augers and rams, may also direct the work materials into a grinding head. The grinding head may also be mounted to make direct contact the materials.
Grinders have also been developed to reduce scrap materials and landfill debris into fine particulates for transport or merely to occupy less space at a landfill. U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,682 discloses one such grinder. That grinder provides a trailered operator platform, feed hopper and hydraulic grinding head. Power is supplied from a power take-off at the transport vehicle which drives a pair of hydraulic motors at the grinder, which separately drive opposite sides of the grinding head. Particulate size is controlled at a reduction channel having a hydraulically controlled floor.
Although the foregoing grinder has proven very capable at its task of reducing a wide range of materials, the physical size of the equipment and related economic costs have demonstrated a need for a physically smaller grinder. A modified, sizing chamber at the feed assembly is also desired to provide a longer dwell time for the work material. A mechanism for controlling the size of the ejected particulate is also desired.
The subject invention was developed to meet the foregoing needs and to provide a short bodied, high efficiency grinder with substantially the same material throughput as larger grinders and with greater control over the particulate size.